Urban Design Officer

Urban Design Officer

Location: Ealing

Salary: £47,532 -£49,551 per annum

The Role          

If you are passionate about urban design, place shaping and the role it can play in improving the lives of their residents, then the council have a great opportunity for you.

Based in the Planning, Design and Sustainability Division, they are looking for an experienced and motivated Urban Design professional to join their recently established Design Service. You will be joining at an exciting time, playing an important role in shaping the service and helping to embed good design in everything they do. They are seeking designers with a background in architecture or urban design, with experience in complex planning applications, developing masterplans, design briefs and feasibility studies.

You will provide design advice and develop design-led projects, providing advice on pre-applications and applications, and helping develop policy, design codes, supplementary planning guidance, masterplans and regeneration frameworks. In addition, you will work across the council to ensure council led projects, from regeneration to leisure and housing, have good urban design and place making embedded from conception to delivery.

This role requires innovative thinking and the ability to influence and motivate. The successful candidates will be working in a directorate full of people dedicated to achieving great things, and in an organisation with an appetite for innovation and continuous improvement to ensure they deliver the best for their residents, businesses and visitors.

Key Responsibilities

• Advise on Urban Design and related policy, produce design guidance, strategic planning masterplans and development briefs and RIBA 0-1 feasibility studies, maintaining a high professional performance. Ensure performance targets are met and that all work is undertaken in accordance with statutory requirements, the Council’s policies and procedures and to the best professional standards for the benefit of the residents of the Borough.
• To act as lead officer and undertake, under own initiative and with minimal supervisions, a variety of tasks relating to complex and contentious urban design matters including on pre-application and planning application negotiations, policy, guidance and strategies.
• Support the Urban Design Manager to deliver a financially sustainable team and identify wider commercial opportunities. Manage projects, agree fees and payment schedules with clients. 
• Champion good design across the borough and ensure it is embedded in the Council’s Planning, Housing and Project Delivery Services and is embraced by members, stakeholders and the wider community. 
• Work to support a structure and governance approach that ensures a separation between work carried out for the Local Planning Authority and work carried out for other council departments. 
• To commission external consultants where appropriate, ensuring effective client management and oversight, as well as being accountable for and managing programme and project budgets. 

Skills and Qualifications

• Completion of a recognised relevant qualification in Urban Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture or other relevant Design Discipline. Eligibility for membership of RTPI, RIBA or equivalent professional body. 
• Experience of providing urban design services to a range of projects including RIBA stage 0-1 work, design guidance and advising on major development schemes and regeneration projects including those being promoted by the Council. This will include identifying urban design issues and potential problems arising from major developments and other schemes and ability to make recommendations for creative, imaginative yet practical and deliverable solutions including through use of quantitative and qualitative analysis, evaluation of alternative solutions and consequences of outcomes. 
• Demonstrable understanding, commitment and ability to carry out the tasks of the post, with experience of using performance management techniques to meet agreed deadlines to provide timely, reasonable, clear, robust and realistic advice to support the service and its ability to meet and exceed performance targets. 
• Ability to successfully prepare and present expert and professional evidence regarding the urban design matters including successfully representing the Council at Planning Committees, Public Inquiries and informal hearings and complex appeals or other relevant legal proceedings to include the giving of evidence under cross-examination. 
• Experience and proven track record of a high level of competence and of successfully influencing and securing improved urban design outcomes within the context of a high volume, high output service demand. Ability to provide timely, high quality and helpful advice in relation to complex high profile / value and politically sensitive major applications that constitute significant interventions in the built environment with minimal supervision. 
• Experience of working in partnership with public, private, voluntary and/or community sector organisations and successfully managing and facilitating effective working relationships across and between organisations and the public, demonstrating the ability to ensure robust and inclusive community engagement and to provide advice and assistance to the public and other customers as and when necessary. 

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for this reputable council, please click apply to complete your application.

This role is deemed customer facing and as such you must have a command of spoken English which is sufficient to enable you to effectively perform the role.  This requirement relates to Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016.

This post is subject to the council’s enhanced vetting process.